The Power of Flexibility
Pipe elbows are susceptible to damage, such as from flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC), but inspecting them is challenging since their shape changes from convex to concave, and there are many possible pipe diameters. The FlexoFORM™ solution integrates flexible phased array probe technology in a scanner to solve these challenges. This solution can be used to collect easy-to-interpret data on elbows with diameters ranging from 4.5 in. OD up to flat and offers many benefits, including:
- 100% elbow coverage
- Intuitive 2D C-scan imaging
- High-resolution data (1 mm × 1 mm)
- Fast elbow wall thickness measurement
- Constant coupling maintained by water-column system
High-Resolution Data
The scanner is used with an OmniScan® X3, MX2, or SX instrument to detect and measure different types of damages or anomalies such as remaining wall thickness, corrosion pitting, and mid-wall lamination or inclusions. High-density data combined with the multiple views available on the flaw detector or OmniPC™ software provide clear images of the elbow’s condition and make data interpretation faster and easier.
The scan direction is encoded, and there’s an indexing button positioned directly on the scanner to perform index increments in the second axis.
Magnetic wheels keep the scanner firmly attached to the pipe, while a foam gasket is permanently in contact with the surface to keep the water column filled.
The scanner uses a water wedge that minimizes water consumption and provides easy air bubble management while enabling the scanner to conform to the elbow’s convex and concave shapes, couple to surfaces with moderate roughness, and synchronize data to the front wall.
Each wedge is contoured to fit a specific pipe diameter. Simply mount the probe and wedge assembly on the scanner, and the system is ready to use.
